


Kalinda & The Florricks

by Scarlet



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 17:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6338908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet/pseuds/Scarlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first two of four “missing scenes”. One with Peter, on how Kalinda ended up working for the SA’s office; and one with Grace, taking place after Kalinda found her in the church with jimmy Patrick in 3X10.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Peter

 

 

“Kalinda.”

“Mr. State’s Attorney.”

Peter Florrick slips onto the bar stool next to her. “Come work for me,” he says without preamble.

Kalinda smiles around the rim of her tequila shot. Men like Peter Florrick don’t have time to beat around the bush, which is just as well since she’s not one for small talk. “No.”

Peter signals the waiter, orders a whisky for himself and another tequila shot for Kalinda, without asking her if she wants it. “Your talents are wasted with Gauthier. He’s a slimeball.”

“This slimeball gave me a job,” Kalinda says, after biting into her lime wedge. Gauthier doesn’t give a damn who she is or comes from, as long as she gets the job done for his P.I. firm.

“I am offering you a better one. You’re good. The cops love you...” Kalinda smirks. “... and not just for the obvious reasons,” Peter smirks right back. “I’m told you’re a straight shooter and that you’re discreet. I need people like that in my office. I know the pay’s not great but it’s a regular income.”

Kalinda wipes her fingertips on the paper napkin that came with her lime. “Not interested.”

Peter takes a sip of his whisky as soon as the waiter sets it on the counter in front of him. “I can help you.”

“What makes you think I need help?” Kalinda asks, slowly running her index finger over the edge of her empty glass.

Peter takes out a brown envelope from his navy cashmere coat pocket. “People who change their names usually do,” he replies, sliding the envelope across the counter towards her.

Kalinda goes very still. She opens the envelope, rifles through its content. She’s still admirably composed when she closes it, but Peter notices she’s gone paler.

“Look, I don’t care what it is you’re running away from, _Kalinda_. But if I could find out that your fingerprints belong to a dead woman in Toronto this easily, other people will too.”

Kalinda doesn’t ask him how he got hold of her fingerprints. She’s been careful, but obviously not careful enough. “Blackmail as a recruitment method? You guys must really be desperate,” she snarks, pushing the envelope back in his direction.

“This isn’t blackmail. I have no intention of using what’s in there,” Peter says, laying his hand flat on the envelope, “even if you turn my offer down. I’m just letting you know you’re in a precarious position.”

Kalinda scoffs, knocks back her second tequila shot. “Thanks for the drink,” she says, wiping her lips with the back of her hand and gracefully stepping down from her stool.

Peter catches her wrist. “Think about it. If you really want Kalinda Sharma to be all that you are, I can make it happen.”

Kalinda looks down at his hand wrapped around her wrist, and Peter gently lets go. He stands up as well. “Just think about it.”

Kalinda holds his eyes for a split second, then turns on her heels and leaves.

~~~

“So, that’s it?” Kalinda asks.

Peter leans over to fan the papers out on the hotel’s room coffee table. “Social Security number, driver’s license, passport. Everything is in order.”

Kalinda nods, picks up the passport to examine it.

“I’d suggest you get rid of those counterfeits you’ve been using until now.”

Kalinda looks up at him, nods again. There’s no point in lying that she doesn’t have such things.

“I had to register you under your real name in the office’s database. I can’t do anything about that. But I will bury it as far down as I can.”

Kalinda puts the passport down, runs a hand over her face, feeling suddenly light-headed. She can stop running. She is Kalinda Sharma now. Legally. Or as legally as State’s Attorney Peter Florrick could make it. She sits down on the couch in front of the coffee table, relief making her hands tremble. She tucks them inside the pockets of her blue leather jacket.

“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to protect me,” she says quietly.

Peter sits next to her, running absentminded palms over the crease of his trousers. “You’re an asset. It is in my interest to protect my assets.”

She turns her head to look at him, not knowing how to express her gratitude, not knowing how to tell him that he just saved her life. He’s a handsome man, married to a boring Highland Park housewife. She’s heard the rumors about him and call girls, so Kalinda removes her hands from her pockets, places them on both sides of his face and kisses him.

Peter pulls back, blinks. “This isn’t why...” he starts saying, then inhales sharply as one of Kalinda’s hand lands on his crotch. He’s already hard. This may not be why, but he’s interested all right. This will be easy. She lifts an eyebrow at him.

Peter shrugs. “You’re a beautiful woman, Kalinda. I’m sure this doesn’t come as a complete surprise to you.”

She’s got to admire his poise. She curls her fingers on the back of his strong neck. “Say my name again,” she whispers in his ear.

He does. Many times.

 


	2. Grace

“Listen very carefully because I will only say it once,” Kalinda hisses, her fist tight on Jimmy Patrick’s collar. “You will not contact Grace again, you will not talk to her online or otherwise. If you do, I will find you and I will hurt you. Is that clear?”

“I thought she had her parents’ consent,” Jimmy stammers.

Kalinda tightens her grip. “She didn’t. She’s a minor, you’re an adult, and you should know better than to take a teenager’s word at face value. Unless you’re one of those sickos using God as an excuse to get close to young girls.”

Jimmy’s eyes widen in shock. “I’m not, I swear I’m not,” he coughs. “Ask around, people will tell you. I’m not like that.”

“Kalinda, let him go. He’s telling the truth. He’s not a perv,” Grace’s voice pleads behind her.

Kalinda stares at the young preacher. “You’d better pray I don’t find out that you are,” she snarls, then releases him. Jimmy Patrick stumbles backward. She turns towards Grace. “Let’s go. Your parents are looking everywhere for you.”

~~~

“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Grace protests, putting her seat belt on.

Kalinda starts the car. “Your mother told Zach you tried to call her twelve times.”

Grace gapes. “What? No, I didn’t.” She reaches behind her to retrieve her phone from her jeans’ back pocket. She stares at the black screen. “The battery's dead.”

Kalinda pulls out from the curb, doesn’t say anything.

“Am I in trouble?” Grace asks, sounding close to tears.

Kalinda shoots her a quick a look. “I don’t know.”

“I just wanted to get baptized. Mom’s an atheist. She doesn’t get those things. And Dad is always too busy. I thought I would have the time to get it done without anybody knowing about it.”

Kalinda lets Grace babble, an eye on the speedometer. Child on board and all that.

“I’m so screwed,” Grace sighs, then realises what she just said. “Sorry,” she mutters.

Kalinda doesn’t feel comfortable around children, but this is Alicia’s daughter sitting next to her. And the young girl is visibly upset.

“Look, the worst that can happen to a kid like you is you get grounded. This won’t be the end of the world.”

Grace frowns. “A kid like me?”

“Mmhmm,” Kalinda hedges.

“A privileged white kid? Is that what you mean?” Grace may not have her mother’s looks, but she has her sneer down pat.

Kalinda shrugs, flicks the indicator to turn left.

“You don’t know what it’s like,” Grace says dejectedly, slumping in her seat.

Kalinda ignores her.

Grace remains blissfully silent for a few minutes but it doesn’t last: “I was coming out of gym class when that boy, Luke, rushed towards me, holding up his phone. _‘Hey Grace, your dad does hookers! Say cheese!’_. I had no idea what he was on about. Then I saw the way they were all staring at me, whispering... and my friends... they wouldn’t even look at me. I didn’t feel privileged then. More like a leper.”

“I’m sorry,” Kalinda says, and she means it.

“You have no idea what it was like in our house after this. Mom was so... distracted. She cried a lot... not in front of us, though.”

Kalinda doesn’t want the image of a tearful Alicia inside her head. Alicia struggling to hold back tears, as she threatened to scream if Kalinda didn’t get out of her office, still burns in her mind like a white-hot brand. She wishes she could drive faster.

“She kicked Dad out after the press conference,” Grace continues. “She couldn’t stand having him in the house. Zach and I were so sure they were gonna divorce. Then there was the trial and he went to prison, so him living with us wasn’t an issue anymore. At least for a while.”

“Grace, I don’t think your mother would appreciate you discussing this with me.”

Grace stares at her. “But you’re friends, aren’t you?”

Kalinda regrets having opened her mouth at all. The knack the Florrick women have to draw people into unwanted conversations doesn’t seem exclusive to Alicia. “Colleagues,” she replies curtly, annoyed when the traffic light in front of them turns red.

“And yet you came looking for me.”

There is no answer to this that Kalinda cares to give. She drums her nails over the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn green.

“You don’t talk much do you?” Grace says, once it becomes clear Kalinda is not going to volunteer anything.

“Not my thing.”

“This must be why my mom likes you. She likes quiet people.”

Something vine-like wraps itself around Kalinda’s chest and tightens.

“I don’t feel any different,” Grace says as they reach another crossroad.

“Should you?”

Grace shrugs. “There’s this line in the bible about baptism, about wearing Jesus’ clothing?”

Kalinda can’t help but smile. “Do you mean: _‘for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ’_?”

Grace does a double-take. “Yes! Yes, that’s the one. You know it?”

“Galatians 3:27.”

“Wow. You can quote the Bible from memory?” Grace asks, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Only some of it,” Kalinda replies.

“Are you religious?”

“No.” She cuts her eyes to Grace.“I went to a Catholic school,” she explains, hoping this will end the girls’ steady stream of questions.

“But you believe in God?”

 _No such luck._ “I don’t know.”

“You’re agnostic?”

“Something like that.” Kalinda turns on N. Dearborn Street and parks in front of Alicia’s apartment building.

“Anyway... I thought I would feel different once I got baptized,” Grace says, removing her seat belt. “Like, I would get a sense of peace once I got ‘clothed’ with Jesus,” she catches Kalinda’s eyes. “You think I’m silly, don’t you?”

Kalinda’s smile is warmer than it’s ever been. “No. I don’t.”

Grace smiles back. “I like talking to you.”

Kalinda tilts her head, opens her door. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

“Your boots are amazing,” Grace tells her as they start walking towards the building’s main entrance.

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS: to [orangesandlemons](http://archiveofourown.org/users/orangesandlemons/) for ace beta and to [florrickandassociates](http://florrickandassociates.tumblr.com/) for last minute pointers and headcanons. 
> 
> NOTES: I always wondered how it was that Andrew Wiley found out that Peter had slept with a coworker named Leela, since everybody there knew Kalinda as Kalinda. My theory is that only Peter knew Leela Tahiri was her real name, and that for some reason, he had to register her as such before helping her change her name. Which is why the name Leela must have appeared in the State's Attorney's department's records. If you have a better explanation, I'd love to hear it. I also figured that Kalinda wouldn't just have applied for the job at the SA's office, because working for the government under a fake name would have been too risky.


End file.
